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Health & Medicine

The Museum's collections of medical science artifacts represent nearly all aspects of health and medical practice. Highlights include early X-ray apparatuses, such as one of Wilhelm Roentgen's tubes, penicillin mold from Alexander Fleming’s experiments, and Jonas Salk's original polio vaccine. More recent acquisitions include the first artificial heart implanted in a human, the earliest genetically engineered drugs, and materials related to David, the "Bubble Boy." Other artifacts range from artificial limbs and implant devices to bloodletting and dental instruments, beauty products, and veterinary equipment. The contents of a medieval apothecary shop and an 1890s drugstore form part of the collections, along with patent and alternative medicines. The collections also document the many differing perspectives on health and medical issues, from patients, family members, doctors, nurses, medical students, and out-of-the-mainstream health practitioners.

On April 12, 1988, OncoMouse became the first animal to be patented in the United States (patent number 4,736,866). OncoMice are genetically modified to have an active cancer gene, making them very likely to develop cancer. Scientists hoped this trait would make the mice useful test subjects for cancer research.

Developed by Harvard scientists Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart in early 1983, OncoMice were created by injecting known cancer genes into mouse embryos just after fertilization, using a very fine glass needle. This genetic modification not only made the mouse that grew from the embryo prone to cancer, but ensured that the cancer genes would be passed down to its offspring. Much of the funding for this research was paid for by DuPont, and the company was given priority to license the patent from Harvard, making it the sole distributor of OncoMice. This “Stalking Cancer” teeshirt advertises DuPont’s sale of OncoMice.

Sources:

U.S. Patent 4,736,866. “Transgenic non-human mammals.” Published 12 April 1988.

The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:

Digestive stimulant and as a nutritive and ferruginous tonic to sharpen appetite, increase quality and quantity of digestive juices, tone and strengthen gastro-intestinal muscles, better digestion of food and more thoroughly absorbed and utilized, and improvement of general nutrition of the body

Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, produced this Prempro brand hormone replacement therapy around 2002. The Prempro is in a white foil package with a red and gold label. The package contained a trademarked EZ Dial dispenser with 28 tablets. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was meant to relieve the hot flashes, night sweats, and physical discomfort associated with menopause. HRT pills were taken daily, and this package includes a trademarked EZ Dial dispenser. HRT was very popular during the 1990s, but in 2002 a Women’s Health Initiative study reported that HRT users were at increased risk of heart disease, blood clots, and breast cancer. The story had an immediate impact on the number of HRT prescriptions written, and the donor of this sample of Prempro stopped her hormone replacement therapy the day the news broke.

The American flag is a powerful symbol of freedom and independence for many activist groups who wish to claim full rights as citizens . This commercially marketed lap blanket was altered by hand to include the universal access symbol made up of stitched stars. It was sewn by disability-rights advocates affiliated with ADAPT, which stands for the American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today. ADAPT was founded in 1983 in Denver.

The disability rights movement emerged after World War II as people with disabilities formed communities first through rehabilitation hospitals and special, segregated schools, then through independent living centers and later over the Internet. In comparing experiences of oppression and discrimination, people joined forces and became politically active. This lap blanket vividly conveys the message that civil rights belong to all.

Smoking tobacco was linked to lung cancer early in the 20th century, but it was not until 1964 that the United States Surgeon General declared smoking to be a major cause of lung cancer and recommended that smokers kick the habit. In the years following the Surgeon General’s recommendation, organizations such as the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society waged campaigns to educate people about the dangers of smoking.

When the dangers of second-hand smoke became evident, the anti-smoking campaigns expanded to include linking human health to the environment. This was part of a growing trend among activists in the 1970s and 80s to deal with air pollution, noise pollution, and other issues relating to life in our towns and cities.